Drug Wars

For this project I am doing a large charcoal drawing (by large I mean 72"x 112"). I will be receiving the paper next week, and I will start doing the final drawing. For the first couple of months I was doing research about the current drug problems in Mexico (the so called "Drug War"). After thorough research and conversations with faculty, I arrived at well oriented conclusion about the situation in Mexico. I will try to depict in my drawing the different elements that fuel this conflict and narrate a story of the "war".

Here is a sketch of the final drawing:


The drawing resembles Mexico National Flag, with some variations. The drawing is divided in three sections: On the far right, there is the Mexican elites controlling President Calderon (who acts like a dog) and the army in the background as a threat in the horizon. On the far left there is the American side of the problem, a group of people consuming drugs, lost in a vicious and disgusting environment, and the American government feeding the monster (a million headed snake that lives under the Mexican soil - the illegal drug industry). In the middle there is the Mexican people, guarded by an eagle which is attacked by the snake.

There is a lot of symbolism in the drawing, however it will make more sense to explain it once I have a more rendered view of the final drawing. I will keep posting...